The following are previews with betting tips for selected fixtures in Round 17 of the 2022/23 NBL season.
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South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Cairns TaipansWednesday Jan 25, 7:30pm |
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As things currently stand South East Melbourne are in 6th position with a 14-12 record on the season. One position behind them however are arch rivals Melbourne United who posses the exact same amount of wins and losses as them. So a defeat for the Phoenix at home could prove absolutely costly in their pursuit of a finals berth. Meanwhile Cairns sit in 2nd spot having won 16 games and having lost just eight for the campaign. A victory for them on the road, which would be their fourth in a row, would further solidify their standing and give them a great boost of avoiding the play-in process. Not only that, a loss for Phoenix head coach Simon Mitchell could potentially cost him his job come the conclusion of the season. Whilst a win for Adam Forde could be all he needs to secure the much coveted Coach of the Year award. So suffice to say there’s plenty of fire to be played with headed into this clash!
The Phoenix’s latest match was a much needed 112-91 victory over the Wildcats at the State Basketball Centre. They started off the game on fire, producing 27PTS in Q1 and they ended it with a bang too, prevailing in Q4 29-15. Alan Williams led the way with a massive 27PTS on 13/18 shooting + 14REB, 6AST, 1STL and 1BLK. The big Man putting in a powerful performance down low! Mitch Creek was also his usual influential self with 20PTS, 8REB, 6AST and 1BLK. Gary Browne also came up with 14PTS, 5REB, 8AST and 2STL, while Trey Kell III scored 10PTS. And a special mention needs to be made to Ryan Broekhoff who was all Steph Curry from deep, as in under 25-minutes of play he fashioned 26PTS on 6/10 shooting from beyond the arc, alongside 5REB.
As for the Taipans they fought all the way till the very end before eventually going down 85-77 to the JackJumpers at the Cairns Convention Centre. Losing Q2 20-13 and conceding 28PTS in Q3 ultimately cost them the match in the end. However one shining light was DJ Hogg who was on fire with 17PTS, 7REB, 1AST, 3STL and 2BLK to his name. While Buol Kuol was also influential as he shot 6/10 from the floor, also for 17PTS + 8REB and 2STL. Sam Waardenburg also chipped in with 13PTS, 2REB and 2AST. And off the bench Tahjere McCall locked down 11PTS, 4REB, 3AST and 1STL.
I suspect the Phoenix’s desperation will see them through here. And alongside that lately the Taipans have looked a tad jaunted in their defeat against the ‘Jackies’. Throughout the encounter they landed just eight three-pointers on target and they turned the ball over 18 times. Comparing that to the match before, a win against the Breakers, they landed the same amount of attempts from deep on target (eight), but they also turned the ball over four less times (14). Meanwhile in stark comparison South East Melbourne’s ball movement against Perth was incredibly free flowing which not only opened up some awesome opportunities inside close to the basket for the hosts, but it also meant they only turned the ball over seven times. Oh and they were also gunning from down town, 11/39 to be exact! So based on all things Basketball related from last round, I’ll back the Phoenix to get home here in a close one.
Betting tips: Pick the Phoenix to win here at $1.82 (BlueBet)
Also back them to get going in Q1 at win it at $1.89 (UniBet)
And you can also back them to score 87+ PTS throughout the match at $1.52 (Bet365)
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Brisbane Bullets vs New Zealand BreakersThursday Jan 26, 7:30pm |
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The Bullets come into this matchup having won just two of their last eight games at home. And only compounding matters is the fact that over that dreadful eight game stretch they’ve leaked 90+ PTS on each and every damned occasion! Things have been far from pretty for Greg Vanderjagt’s Men as of late. Meanwhile for the Breakers they’ll no doubt be looking to inflict some pain onto the opposition as they head into this affair full of confidence courtesy of their latest win. Playing the Kings at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney’s Olympic Park in front of 14,232 raucous spectators (the largest NBL crowd this season) they came away with a heroic 93-88 victory. That despite them missing the likes of Barry Brown Jr. and Izayah Le’afa via injury. For Brisbane they are just trying to wreak havoc on other teams seasons at the moment, while New Zealand still have a strong chance of securing 2nd place. It’s the battle of one fallen giant up against a current one and whatever this clash tosses up is guaranteed to be scintillatingly tasty.
Brisbane were very commanding last time out on the court as they smashed the lowly Hawks 103-86 at the WIN Entertainment Centre. Q4 was just simply ballistic for them as they prevailed 30-19 in a quarter that well and truly flexed their dominance up and onto the hosts. Tyler Johnson coming off the pine was amazing as he shot 7/12 en route to 23PTS, 3REB, 4AST and 1STL. While also coming off the bench Harry Froling fashioned 14PTS, 9REB, 2AST and 1STL. And of the starters Andrew White III had a game to remember as he shot 8/11 for 18PTS, as well as having gotten 2REB and 1AST. Aaron Baynes also had 15PTS, 6REB and 1AST. That while Jason Cadee secured himself a 12-piece meal.
For New Zealand in their 93-88 victory at Qudos Bank Arena, them winning Q4 23-20 was in the end pretty massive within the overall context of the result and everyone played their part in what was an extremely strong team effort. Jarrell Brantley exploded for a huge 30PTS, while Will McDowell-White wasn’t too far off him with 20PTS. Derek Pardon also feasted on an 11-piece meal and off the pine Rob Loe had 15PTS and Cam Gliddon secured 9PTS. Brantley also shot 9/16 as he had 9REB, 5AST, 1STL and 3BLK to his name! McDowell-White’s other stats also included 6REB and 10AST. While Loe shot a brilliant 3/3 from beyond the arc + 5REB.
Can Jarell Brantley lift his team up two matches in a row with some key absences involved?
Can Will McDowell-White be the second best player on a winning team?
Can Rob Loe who just bounced the Kings with 15PTS off the bench keep that up (averaging 5.8PPG on the season)?
The first two I reckon are bound to happen and if Loe can chip in to then brilliant, but if not no worries. Look for a Brisbane fight but an ultimate New Zealand blowout come the end of the day.
Betting tips: Look for a tasty Breakers dub at $1.45 (TexBet)
And you can also look for them to reach 10, 15 and 20PTS first before Brisbane at $1.66, $1.62 and $1.72 (Bet365)